camrose regional collaboration workshop report€¦ · the creation of this report would not have...

Camrose Regional Collaboration Workshop Report

Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities

ACSRC Report #27 – 16 No. 4 of 8

Camrose Regional Collaboration Workshop Report

Authors Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities

Acknowledgements These notes were created by the staff of the Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities, University of Alberta – Augustana Campus.

The creation of this report would not have been possible without the many voices heard at the Camrose Regional Collaboration Session. No particular observation or comment should be attributed to any specific individual, unless otherwise specified. Any errors in description or interpretation are those of the author.

Research funding for this project was provided by Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development Rural Initiatives and Research.

2016

Contents Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... 1

Regional Collaboration ................................................................................................................. 3

Project Evaluation ......................................................................................................................... 4

Summary of Findings .................................................................................................................... 5

Session 1: World Café ............................................................................................................... 5

Session 2: Scenario Planning.................................................................................................... 9

SUMMARY: Potential future collaboration .......................................................................... 9

SUMMARY: Proximal and Distal Variables that Affect Collaboration .................................10

SUMMARY: Trends and Patterns ........................................................................................11

Responses –From Participant Comments on Evaluations ..........................................................14

Appendix A. Project Backgrounder .............................................................................................17

Appendix B: Project Information and Consent to Participate Form ...........................................18

Appendix C: Agenda ...................................................................................................................22

Appendix D: Workshop PowerPoint ...........................................................................................23

Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities 1

Executive Summary On January 26, 2016 The Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities (ACSRC) at the University of Alberta conducted a regional collaboration workshop in Camrose Alberta. The event was one of seven workshops held in communities across Alberta from April 2015 and March 2016. Thirty one participants engaged in this event.

The purpose of the event was to bring representatives from a wide variety of areas including rural municipalities, regional economic development alliances, rural associations (AUMA, AAMDC), Aboriginal communities, and not-for-profit and private sector associations. The inclusion of these groups in this event was meant to create a balance of inter-sectoral representation with geographic, political and social considerations. During this event, a three-part collaboration and capacity-building exercise took place.

The three parts to this event were in the form of exercises to help enable regional collaboration within the context of rural Alberta. The exercises were as follows: (1) Establishing criteria for identifying and prioritizing high-impact action areas; (2) Establishing priority areas, themes, questions and actions for regional collaboration (based on (1)): and (3) Completing a 4-phase scenario planning process (see for example HHL based on 1 and 2 (above) in order to ( I ) identify core problems and frame their analyses; (2) identify assumptions and models about regional collaboration; (3) discussing and evaluating current trends; and (4) developing scenarios for the "ideal" regional future.


Introduction

Collaboration within and between regions is a priority area for rural Alberta, and improved/increased partnerships are key elements in potentially reducing costs, increasing economic benefits and focusing planning services and project development. Particularly with the gradual adoption of the Land Use Framework, there are increased pressures upon rural communities to integrate, collaborate and partner in innovative ways, as well as a need for opportunities to consider the form, function and implications of regional collaboration. This is particularly true from the perspective of the regional development alliances, rural municipalities and rural service providers, and is clearly recognized in Strategy 5.l of the Rural Alberta Economic Development Action Plan (2014). As a result, finding mechanisms to not just foster collaboration, but engage community-based stakeholders in a broader process of determining priorities, impact areas, needs, gaps and future scenarios are important components of this process. It is these mechanisms that will drive the workshops

This project facilitated the design, implementation and evaluation of a series of facilitated regional collaboration workshops in locations around the province. These workshops were structured around three primary goals: (1) identifying priority and high-impact areas for regional, inter-municipal, inter-organizational and REDA- oriented collaboration; (2) establishing necessary conditions for success for these areas; and (3) engaging the participants in a broader process of scenario planning to identify both those conditions, and the external/internal factors that can facilitate, and frustrate, success collaboration of this form. On the conclusion, approximately 200 stakeholders from rural community, policy and economic sectors (including governance, natural resources, infrastructure, energy, small/medium enterprise, education, social service providers and health) will have been engaged.

We believe that these workshops proved a valuable means of not only fostering the connections and relationships necessary to develop meaningful collaboration, but also as a way of determining the local, regional and provincial priority areas that can best achieve the goals and objectives outlined in the Rural Alberta Economic Development Action Plan in 2014.


Regional Collaboration Today’s economic, social and environmental challenges demand that people, industries and institutions work together. While regional collaboration can be addressed in many ways, this event took place in a one day workshop with a goal to help support and better enable regional collaboration within Alberta. Some of the benefits of regional collaboration involve:

• Finding new resources and capacities to cope with challenges • Fostering discourse • Synthesize ideas and needs • Building relationships

Methodology

Four different exercises were conducted during the workshop. The four exercises used rotating table discussion. The main topics discussed included identify potential areas for collaboration, what is the ideal future for the Grande Prairie region was seen as, where was collaboration most needed and what were the possible trends and patterns.

Objectives

The outcomes of the event were as follows: 1. To increase rural dialogue and engagement with the concept, practices, opportunities and challenges of regional collaboration. 2. To increase inter-regional communication and knowledge sharing through the transfer of priorities, futures and success criteria. 3. To link regional economic development alliances and initiatives with both governance, economic, environmental, social and planning stakeholders at the regional level. 4. To engage Aboriginal community leadership with regional development and governance initiatives. 5. To create opportunities for regional collaborations and partnerships to build capacity, share knowledge and develop collaborative opportunities and initiatives. 6. The evaluation of prioritization and scenario planning methods through workshop and project evaluation. 7. To identify regionally-based needs, gaps, opportunities and capitals that support long-term community sustainability in rural Alberta.


Project Evaluation This project will undertake a post-facto evaluation of regional collaboration through an online survey of workshop participants in late 2016. This evaluation is premised on an already validated theory of change that supports activities such as asset mapping, scenario planning, prioritization and horizon scanning as initiatives that can spark long-term discussion, planning and even action within rural communities. While these workshops are far from the only causal factor that will influence the nature, form and content of collaboration, we will assess the effects of these workshops as triggers or facilitators of increased and/or high-impact collaboration. These data will be cross-referenced with on-site event evaluations conducted at the conclusion of each workshop.


Summary of Findings Session 1: World Café SUMMARY: The first session of the workshop involved discussion around identifying potential areas for collaboration; challenges to collaboration; and clarifying the “region” in regional collaboration.

Before identifying potential areas for collaboration, participants discussed existing collaborations. The Beaver Hills Initiative was noted as a successful collaboration whose membership includes several municipalities, representatives from provincial and federal governments, non-government organizations, industries and individual consultants. The purpose of the collaboration is to support informed decisions on land use in a unique eco-region. Throughout the collaboration, there has been a consistent need to ask “what are we getting out of this?” and “What directions are we going in?” This has opened many doors when applying for grants and has allowed many perspectives to be involved in the collaborative process.

Another example of a prominent collaboration in the Camrose area is the Battle River Watershed Alliance (BRWA). The collaboration has existed for ten years and though generally viewed as an environmental group, its vision is to promote the idea that watershed health is the basis for social and economic sustainability. The BRWA can have difficulty in ensuring secure funding and completing objectives towards a cohesive vision, as its boundaries are defined by the watershed, covering several municipalities, and municipalities tend to consistently fund projects solely within their individual jurisdictions.

The tax sharing agreement between Wetaskiwin and Millet was cited as important as it has opened doors for communication and collaboration. The collaboration has benefited both communities as the ongoing conversation with individuals and organizations means that the collaboration is able to leverage funding dollars to make initiatives happen. Additional areas of existing collaboration included emergency services, fire, police, land use planning and recreation, and Family and Community Support Services (FCSS).

Serving as a segue in the discussion from existing to potential collaborations, was the example of the Flagstaff Intermunicipal Partnership (FIP). In existence since 2003, this collaboration consists of Flagstaff County and the 8 towns and villages lying within county borders. The collaboration began as a way to address the needs of the greater Flagstaff region by planning and promoting cost sharing to the mutual benefit of members, improving service delivery and aiming to achieve long term sustainability as a regional community. Going forward, FIP is looking at various


options for combining and coordinating administrative and governance functions for the region.

Potential areas identified for regional collaboration included:

• Increased access to, and quality of, high speed internet (broadband)

• Shared municipal administration and infrastructure

• Mental health services

• Collaborating among social services, health and emergency planning

• Addressing climate change

• Value added opportunities in various resource sectors

• Education, including providing English as a second language as part of

welcoming immigrants.

• Economic development, collaborating internally amongst county departments.

• Children’s services

• Recreation

• Arts and culture

Challenges in ensuring effective collaboration included a perception of loss of voice and control; deconstructing silos both within and between organizations; ensuring that communication is two way; and understanding that the whole is greater than individual. Areas identified as the highest potential for collaboration included:

• Welcoming communities. Welcoming new people to a community and

making sure people stay in the community is very important. Participants noted that rural communities are slowly beginning to feel the population of their communities increase due to the immigration; and that it is important to ensure the newcomers, whether immigrants or migrants from other parts of Canada, feel included. Additionally, making rural communities attractive for professionals including doctors, nurses and teachers was also important.


• Regional hubs. Creating regional hubs with easy access to services provides a key means to collaborate. Expanding on the regional libraries system to be a hub for multiple services; including those delivered through broadband ensures everyone access to the benefits of broadband, regardless of socioeconomic status. Participants suggested that rural communities could come together to host professional training, allowing people to stay up to date without going to a city for further education. Another example was the development of a local food hub, where food produced in the region could be aggregated for easy consumer access.

• Transportation. Providing both infrastructure and public transportation

services would allow people in the region to access speciality services in Edmonton, and to live more rurally while working in the city.

• Relationship building. An example was given of initiatives that have been

taken with oil companies which have resulted in the distribution of scholarships and grants. It was identified that further work needs to be done to build relationships with Metis and First Nations communities. Finally, the recent election of an NDP government means that there is an opportunity to build a new relationship with the provincial government.

• Expanding Family and Community Support Services (FCSS). Building on

the foundation of an existing effective collaborative structure has potential for immediate impact.

Characteristics of a high impact collaboration included:

• Having clarity on the common goal or purpose

• Being flexible to changing conditions; including having a fluid structure such that members can come and go as conditions are right for them.

• Having one person as an accountable manager.

• Partners with authorization to contribute resources.

In the discussion of what constitutes a region participants unanimously stated that the definition of a region is not fixed. Responses were as follows:

• Regions can be defined in terms of who is involved in the collaboration. In

some cases, regions are created by communities coming together and become political entities. This can be seen by the Eastern Alberta Trade


Corridor in which everyone works together in a focus of economic development.

• Regions may be defined by who is collecting the taxes and providing the

services, making a region either municipal or provincial.

• Regions often include an urban centre, and with the greater population and resources available to the city, the definition gets an urban skew.


Session 2: Scenario Planning This section involved a three part scenario planning exercise. First, a discussion of a potential future collaboration which involves identifying what values, principles, actions and structures were ideal for regional collaboration as well as what regional collaboration looks like and why it matters. Second, a look at proximal and distal causes - those things that will have immediate and arm’s length impact on the collaboration. The third step goes further out again, looking at trends and patterns that could affect the collaboration.

SUMMARY: Potential future collaboration Values and principles identified as important to regional collaboration included:

• Clarifying expectations.

• Transparency.

• Trust between collaborative partners.

• Common goals.

• Tempered expectations: not expecting to get more out of the collaboration

than you are willing to give.

• Full disclosure; no hidden agendas.

• Willingness to take risks.

• Communication; a relationship of dialogue.

• Flexibility; understanding that circumstances change and be willing to make alterations to the collaboration as necessary.

• Accountability.

• Inclusivity; ensuring all the right partners are involved whether that is First

Nations and Metis, industry or various levels of government.

In terms of structures and actions, it was identified that for a collaboration to be successful there needs to be:


• Terms of reference; written agreements to which all parties sign on. The structure needs to be clear about where the power for decision making lies and have a dispute resolution process.

• Targets and timelines; clear objectives with concrete results.

• Commitment to contributing resources: information, funding, staff.

• A dedicated project manager who can carry the collaboration through

changes in partners, governments, staff.

• A limit to the size of the collaboration. While important to get the “right” people involved, if the group gets too big it becomes difficult to make decisions.

• Representation from the provincial government, as they have the bigger

picture of what is happening at the provincial scale and be able to provide advice regarding collaboration amongst regions. Having provincial representation does not mean that collaboration should be driven by the provincial government.

SUMMARY: Proximal and Distal Variables that Affect Collaboration Proximal variables can be seen as “what affects me immediately/over what have I got immediate control.” The following are proximal variables identified by participants:

• Ownership: committing to contributing to the collaboration.

• As a collaboration, creating a culture of risk, where we are willing to try

something even if it might not work.

• Working within our circle of influence and broadening the membership of the collaboration to extend the circle of influence, when necessary.

• Assess our underlying assumptions; just because something hasn’t worked

previously, doesn't mean it won’t work now. Conversely doing the same things repeatedly and expecting different outcomes is the definition of insanity. Make sure evaluation of ideas and activities is as objective as possible.

• Include a “tenth man” in the collaboration, a devils advocate who will find

weak spots.


• The collaboration needs to be committed to doing research, to avoid duplication as much as possible while learning from others who have done similar things.

• While it is important not to lose sight of the larger context in which the

collaboration is working, that needs to be tempered with keeping focus on the local/regional scale.

• Having strong, independent leadership or facilitation for the collaboration.

Distal variables can be seen as “arm’s length variables.” Some examples of distal variables cited during the workshop include:

• The constant flux in funding.

• Changes in government.

• A fear of loss of autonomy and identity. As communities look at options for

effectively collaborating on municipal administration and governance, there is a general sense of fear around a loss of autonomy. Participants observed that there is a lot of sense in looking at different government models, giving the examples that in Beaver County, there are five governments for ten thousand people and that in Flagstaff County and its towns and villages, there are 49 elected official for a population of 8500. There is a need to overcome residents’ fears of loss of autonomy, as any model of local government would still include representation; and a fear of lost community identity as there seems to be a tendency to conflate a town or village council with the identity of the community itself.

• The need to look long term is hampered by the election cycle.

• The need to find information that may not exist.

SUMMARY: Trends and Patterns This section involved identifying the trends and patterns that could impact regional collaboration.

Trends and patterns that were discussed during this workshop included: Four key themes emerged. These themes were: economic uncertainty, the role of governments, the loss of resources, and the use of internet/technology.


1. Economic uncertainty

• Increased unemployment with an associated increase in social problems.

• Increase in social agency programs being used

2. Governments

• Governments cutting funding and offloading work to NGOs

• Incentives for collaborations from granting programs

• Alberta Municipal Affairs creating incentives for municipal collaboration through grants

• Municipalities being expected to do more with less

3. Loss of resources

• Aging population resulting in a diminishing labour forces

• People having fewer children

• Loss of people through urbanization 4. Internet/technology

• Use technology to minimize costs such as using teleconferencing

• Needing to improve internet access

• Accessing more experts, such as doctors, in rural areas through the use of

internet

• Increased use of electronic information – shared through the use of social media

Other patterns included:

• The tendency to be reactive rather than proactive.

• A focus on economic development. Regional collaboration is about more than economic issues, it is also important to address social issues. The example was given of the Central Alberta Rural Communities Coalition


which brings together diverse interests to address and support rural communities addressing social issues.

When asked what is the best way to collaborate regionally, participants noted that it is important to find like agendas. This act allows for members to align their priorities with all members involved in the collaboration. There also needs to be a reason to collaborate. In particular, people need to know why they should get involved in the collaboration and for what purpose.

Leadership is also very important. There needs to be a neutral facilitator to bring pieces together and is not afraid to take action. This person also needs to do their homework before hand in the sense that they need to know who will be at the table, their agendas, their personalities. The leader should look at what has been done and not done with similar collaborations in the past.

Finally, a discussion occurred about whether or not collaboration should be mandated. The workshop found that rural perceptions of forced collaboration are diverse. The general consensus became that forced collaboration needs to be dependent on the project. One individual suggested that collaborations should not be mandated as the best collaborations work from the ground up. Others believed that if you mandate collaborating, then you may be exceeding a group’s capacity to be able to be a true partner in the process. It was also suggested that groups already need to be engaging in similar activities in order for mandated collaboration to be worth it. However, participants highlighted that mandated collaboration is not necessarily bad if it is not heavily pushed. For instance, forced collaboration brings people together because it provides a push to collaborate. Government grants should also encourage people to collaborate with each other.


Responses –From Participant Comments on Evaluations

Following the event, participants were asked to evaluate the workshop. Twenty two evaluation forms were returned.

Quantitative Responses

Tables 1-3 account for the means of each of the quantitative questions given. Participants were given each of the following questions and asked to rate their satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being not at all and 5 being very much so.

TABLE 1: Meeting of Goals

To what extent did the workshop define and explain the scenario planning process and purpose

3. 8 9

To what extent did the workshop discuss the ideal future for regional collaboration and what factors may positively or negatively affect collaboration

3. 8 2

TABLE 2: Agreement with the following statements

I had sufficient opportunity to participate in discussions. 4.86

I felt I could make a contribution to the issues being discussed. 4.82

My work was valued during the workshop. 4.64

The presentations were appropriate and relevant to the event. 3.96

TABLE 3: Overall satisfaction with the event

Overall, how satisfied were you with this event? 4.11


Qualitative Responses

When asked what the participants liked the most about the workshop, four themes within the comments were prevalent. These themes were the ability to network, the sharing of ideas, the diversity of people present and the discussions that took place at the workshop. Participants also liked the fact that definitions were clarified during the workshop.

Overall, participants were pleased with the types of groups and organizations that were represented at this event. Of those who responded to this question on the evaluation form, only 5% of evaluation forms noted a concern with there being a lack of diversity of groups present. When asked what groups or organizations should have been present, participants suggested that there needed to be more representatives from First Nations groups, youth, activists as well as religious groups, industry and agriculture. Participants also noted that they would have liked to see representatives from environmental groups, co-ops and Metis organizations at the workshop.

When asked how the event can be improved, respondents suggested discussing what the purpose of the workshop was and that participants introduce themselves at the beginning of the workshop.


List of Participants

Organization

Camrose Women’s Shelter Society Town of Sylvan Lake

Wetaskiwin Central Alberta Economic Partnership

Strathcona County

Agriculture and Food Council Flagstaff County EDO

Agriculture and Forestry Kisik Environmental Services

Alberta Economic and Trade Lamont County FCSS

Alberta Health Services Norquest College

Alberta Health Services- School health Promotion

Strathcona County

Beaver County Rural Caucus

Beaver Hills Initiative Leduc-Nisku EDA

BRWA Village of Forestburg

Camrose Adult Learning Council Wetaskiwin Central Alberta Economic Partnership

Camrose District Support Services Village of Alliance

Camrose FCSS Village of Alliance

City of Camrose Town of Slave Lake

Village of Forestburg


Appendix A. Project Backgrounder Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities Regional Collaboration Workshops Backgrounder:

The Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities (ACSRC) at the University of Alberta is conducting a series of regional collaboration workshops in 7 different communities dispersed across Alberta between April 2015 and March 2016. These workshops will bring together representatives from rural municipalities, regional economic development alliances, rural associations (AUMA, AAMDC), Aboriginal communities, and not-for-profit and private sector associations to engage in a 3-part collaboration and capacity-building exercise. The participants in these workshops ideally create a balance of inter-sectoral representation with geographic, political and social considerations.

Specifically, each workshop will engage these participants in three different exercises to help support and better enable regional collaboration in Alberta: (1) Establishing criteria for identifying and prioritizing high-impact action areas; (2) Establishing priority areas, themes, questions and actions for regional collaboration (based on (1)): and (3) Completing a 4-phase scenario planning process (see for example HHL (www.scenarioplanning.eu)) based on 1 and 2 (above) in order to ( I ) identify core problems and frame their analyses; (2) identify assumptions and models about regional collaboration; (3) discussing and evaluating current trends; and (4) developing scenarios for the "ideal" regional future. (Note: This approach was recently used by the ACSRC as part of a Land Use Planning and Municipal Governance project, and was extremely well-received by the 65+ municipal participants). Through the implementation of these 7 workshops, this project will support meeting the following objectives:

1. Increase rural dialogue and engagement with the concept, practices, opportunities and challenges of regional collaboration;

2. Increase inter-regional communication and knowledge sharing through the transfer of priorities, futures and success criteria;

3. Link regional economic development alliances and initiatives with both governance, economic, environmental, social and planning stakeholders at the regional level;

4. Engage Aboriginal community leadership with regional development and governance initiatives;

5. Create opportunities for regional collaborations and partnerships to build capacity, share knowledge and develop collaborative opportunities and initiatives;

6. Evaluation of prioritization and scenario planning methods through workshop and project evaluation;

7. Identify regionally-based needs, gaps, opportunities and capitals that support long-term community sustainability in rural Alberta.


Appendix B: Project Information and Consent to Participate Form Rural Alberta Regional Collaboration Workshops Given your experience and role as a community and/or government representative, you are being asked to participate in a workshop as part of a research study to further develop the collaborative capacity and regional cooperation in rural Alberta.

Objectives: The objectives of this project are to: (1) increase rural dialogue and engagement with the concept, practices, opportunities and challenges or regional collaboration; (2) increase inter-regional communication and knowledge sharing through the transfer of priorities, futures and success criteria; (3) link regional economic development alliances and initiatives with both governance, economic, environmental, social and planning stakeholders at the regional level; (4) engage aboriginal community leadership with regional development and governance initiatives; (5) create opportunities for regional collaborations and partnerships to build capacity, share knowledge and develop collaborative opportunities and initiatives; (6) evaluation of prioritization and scenario planning methods through workshop and project evaluation; (7) identity regionally-based needs, gaps, opportunities and capitals that support long-term community sustainability in rural Alberta.

Background: The data from these workshops will be one component of data collection. Your participation is totally voluntary, and you can withdraw at any time.

This one day workshop will give participants the opportunity to engage in three different exercises to help support and better enable regional collaboration in Alberta: (1) establishing criteria for identifying and prioritizing high-impact action areas; (2) establishing priority areas, themes, questions and actions for regional collaboration; and (3) completing a 4-phase scenario planning process based on 1 and 2.

Confidentiality and Data storage: The data and results of this project are confidential. In no way will you be personally identified in any of the data collected, or in the results (reports, articles, papers, etc.). After the workshop is completed, confidential data (notes, etc.) will be stored (both hard and soft copies) in a locked cabinet in a locked storage room accessible only to departmental administrative staff. Electronic data are encrypted as per University of Alberta policy, and data will be destroyed after 5 years. Only trained ACSRC staff and the project team will have access to the data.

Benefits: This project may not have any direct benefits for you. It is possible that you will become aware of new resources or capacity that are applicable to you, or your organization, to cope with challenges, areas of concern or areas where your


organization excels.

Risks: Participating in this workshop may present some minor risks to you: It is possible that the questions and discussion in this workshop may trigger unpleasant memories or experiences. If this is the case, you may withdraw at any time you choose (even if only for a few minutes) and we will remove your input (See below).

Freedom to withdraw from the workshop: Even after you have agreed to participate, you can decide to withdraw or not complete the process. This can be done at any time, and we will remove your contribution from the data collected.

Use of your Information: This project is being undertaken by the University of Alberta, with additional support being provided by part-time staff at the University of Alberta. This project is being funded by the Government of Alberta, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The responses will be compiled and presented in a report, as well as in supporting documents required by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. None of the reports will have your name or identifying information in them. Organizations will not be identified by name without prior written consent of appropriate personnel at that organization.

Investigators: If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate contacting the persons listed below.

Additional Contacts: If you have any questions or concerns regarding your rights as a participant, or how this study is being conducted, you may contact the University of Alberta's Research Ethics Office at 780-492-2615. This office has no affiliation with the study investigators.

Thank you for your contribution to this research project!

Lars Hallstrom, PhD Associate Professor & Director, ACSRC

Departments of Political Studies/Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology

University of Alberta Phone: (780) 679-1661

Email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


CONSENT FORM Do you understand that you have been asked to participate in a workshop as part of a research study to further develop the collaborative capacity and regional cooperation in rural Alberta?

YES NO

Do you understand that the information collected in this workshop is part of a project led by University of Alberta personnel funded by the Government of Alberta, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development?

YES NO

Do you understand the benefits and risks involved in taking part in this workshop?

YES NO

Do you understand that you can choose to not participate, or you can choose to withdraw at any point during your participation in the process?

YES NO

Do you understand that the information that you provide will be kept in strict confidence and that any link between your responses and your name/organization name will be destroyed?

YES NO

Do you know that you can contact the researchers below if you have any questions about the research or the interview?

YES NO

Do you give us (the researchers) permission to use the data and the information that you provided for the purposes specified?

YES NO

Do you give us permission to use the data and the information that you provided in this workshop for future research and analysis?

YES NO


I agree to take part in this workshop.

YES NO

Name (please print): Date:

Signature:

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate contacting the persons listed below.

Please Note: The plan for this study has been reviewed for its adherence to ethical guidelines by a Research Ethics Board at the University of Alberta. For questions regarding participant rights and ethical conduct of research, contact the Research Ethics Office at 780-492-2615

Lars Hallstrom, PhD Associate Professor & Director, ACSRC

Departments of Political Studies/Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology

University of Alberta Phone: (780) 679-1661

Email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Appendix C: Agenda

Rural Alberta Regional Collaboration Workshops Funded by the Government of Alberta

Mayer Room, Jean and Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre Camrose, AB

Tuesday January 26, 2016 Time Activity

10:00 – 10:10

Welcome and Introduction

10:10 – 11:00

World Café

Identify potential areas for collaboration High impact

11:00 – 11:15

Break

11:00 – 12:00

Plenary Session Top potential areas for regionalized collaboration

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch

13:00 – 13:40

Regional Collaboration – what is the ideal future for this region?

13:40 – 14:20

1) Proximal and Distal Causes

2) What are we missing?

14:20 – 14:30

Break

14:30 – 15:10

Trends and Patterns

15:10 – 16:00

Plenary Discussions


Appendix D: Workshop PowerPoint

camrose regional collaboration workshop report€¦ · the creation of this report would not have...

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